Discontinue plans for Weight Watchers program for teenagers

This summer, my family spent 18 weeks at an eating disorder treatment center while my step-daughter fought a crippling eating disorder. Eating disorders are caused by a variety of factors, but I know that our culture of obsessive dieting are a huge factor.

As the parent of someone who almost died from an eating disorder, I was horrified to learn that this summer, Weight Watchers will offer a free program aimed at teenagers like my step-daughter.

Eating disorders have a 10% fatality rate and are the most fatal type of mental illness. My step-daughter’s illness was so severe that she spent 9 weeks being fed from a tube. She developed heart issues, hormonal issues, and insulin-resistance because of heavy dieting while her body was still developing. Some of the other children in treatment center with her have bone-density loss and organ damage as well. These are not diseases to be taken lightly.

Weight Watchers claims that its new program is meant to encourage healthy habits at a young age – but we know that dieting more often leads to unhealthy habits which can spiral into dangerous diseases. This program has nothing to do with teenagers’ health and everything to do with the company’s goal to grow its revenue to more than $2 billion by 2020.

Weight Watchers thinks its bottom line is more important than our children’s health and that is unacceptable.

If you have comments about this petition that could be triggering to eating disorder warriors, please feel free to email them to me at idisagreewithsarah@cheerful.com. I would love to hear from you!